Welcome to 'just old flies,' a section of methods and flies that
used-to-be. These flies were tied with the only materials
available. Long before the advent of 'modern' tying
materials, they were created and improved upon at a
far slower pace than todays modern counterparts;
limited by materials available and the
tiers imagination.

Once long gone, there existed a 'fraternity' of anglers
who felt an obligation to use only the 'standard' patterns
of the day. We hope to bring a bit of nostalgia to these pages and to
you. And sometimes what you find here will not always be
about fishing. Perhaps you will enjoy them. Perhaps you
will fish the flies. Perhaps . . .

Part One hundred-seventeen

Judge

Compiled by Deanna Birkholm

This colorful fly is a Carrie Stevens tie, also known as
the Red Witch.

The fly was named for the Hon. Charles E. "Stang" Wheeler,
a former state Senator from Stratford, CT.

According to Streamer FlyTying and Fishing
by Joseph D. Bates, Jr., "Larger than life in presence as
well as talent, Stang Wheeler is recognized as one of the
finest amateur decoy carvers in American history. Ever a
Connecticut yankee, he enjoyed a number of careers - oysterman,
cartoonist, and sporting artist. For hobbies he wove baskets,
wrote poems, bred dogs, played football, and boxed. A determining
influence on the development of the Rangeley style of streamer
flies, he was also an expert sailor and an ardent conversationalist.
His spirit was as creative as it was versatile. He is regarded
by all who knew him as a fine sportsman and, above all, a fine
friend."

The pattern is described in Forgotten Flies as:

Body: Medium flat silver tinsel.

Throat: White bucktail, followed by white
hackle fibers.

Wing: Four to six strands peacock herl
followed by four red-dyed grizzly saddle hackles.